Although there were many Americans who were reactionary to the social change of the 1920’s, the decade is best defined as a time of great economic and cultural change glorifying individualism, creativity, and nonconformity.

Created by Mr. Steve Hauprich for acceleration and remediation of US History students

Because smiles are the weak days!He was weak s

In a very different venue, Marx Brothers’ movies were zany, including slapstick antics and jokes about human indecency.

Performing families like the Marx Bros and Howard Brothers (Curly, Larry, Moe) were generally recognized as non-conformists who did not

mix well with the upper crust, hoi polloi, or the very articulate.

Babe Ruth probably never lied under oath, but he was controversialas he promoted fast living and limited self-control.

Lucky Lindberg flew a non-stop solo trans-Atlantic flight that earned him a ticker-tape parade in NY City. There was little

speculation at the time that he may have cheated other than a catnap.

Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle swam the English Channel in the 1920’s, breaking the men’s record by 2 hours. Her individual accomplishment

made many Americans proud of her.

Newspaper headlines included stories of criminal trials for Sacco and Venzetti, Leopold and Loeb, and other sensational events.

Clara Bow was the “It” girl of the 1920’s. Young women wanted to capture her look, and America was learning about cosmetics.

More than ever before, Americans were becoming very conscious of their appearance relative to what they were seeing in movies and

advertisements.

Flapper women were modernists who dressed with less than one pound of clothing whenever possible. They bobbed they hair short

and went through extreme makeovers to anger their parents.

Flappers wore less clothing, however young men in the 1920’s began to wear over-sized pants. This trend would not reappear again until the late 20th century, inspired by hip-hop culture, antidisestablishmentarianism, and the Freudian Id.

The epitome of style was the cloche hat and driving your own car.

Flappers had a great sense of style and were looking for attention.Being labeled a wallflower or participating in a Sadie Hawkins dance

would be un-flapper-like…but dancing the Charleston…

Dancing the Charleston was a very young and crazy thing to do !So were dance marathons, homecoming bonfires, and mosh pits.

Flappers typified the modernist view of the Roaring Twenties as the Jazz Age… fast paced change, new trends, new ideas…

The Harlem Renaissance was an outpouring of artistic creativity.African American women authors and painters gained recognition.

Jazz performers like Louie Armstrong, Bessie Smith, and Duke Ellington were heard on records, radio stations, and in the movies.

Langston Hughes was a great poet of the Harlem Renaissance.He is considered one the best American authors of the 20th century. 

  I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.They send me to eat in the kitchenWhen company comes,But I laugh,And eat well,And grow strong.

Tomorrow,I'll be at the tableWhen company comes.Nobody'll dareSay to me,"Eat in the kitchen,"Then.

Besides, They'll see how beautiful I amAnd be ashamed--

I, too, am America.

Langston Hughes

While not part of the Harlem Renaissance, novelists like F.Scott Fitzgerald and Sinclair Lewis won wide acclaim for their criticism of an

overly conforming and materialistic US society.

Although there were new ideas in art, music, and literature, there was a strong undercurrent of resistance to modern thinking, as religious

fundamentalists joined reactionaries to confront social concerns.

The Scopes Trial was a victory for the opponents of Darwinian evolutionary theory. Religious fundamentalists would postpone the

teaching of evolution in public schools in Tennessee until 1967.

KKK membership rose to over 4 million in the 1920’s and staged a demonstration march of 40,000 members in Washington DC.

The KKK phenomenon was a nativist, racist, religious reactionary movementresponding to demographic and cultural change.

Vanzetti and Sacco were convicted and executed for a robbery/murderin spite of the dubious weight of evidence against them. Many felt

prejudice against their ethnicity and political beliefs denied them their true opportunity to a fair trial.

The 1920’s were a time of significant change in American society.A modern age of rapid cultural and technological change was emerging.

Traditional values were challenged by new cultural forces.

# 1 A major reason for the emergence of a "consumer culture" in the 1920's was that

1 the Federal Government encouraged labor to unionize2 enforcement of antitrust laws resulted in higher prices

3 minimum-wage laws expanded buying power4 advertising and installment payments encouraged buying

#2 The growth of the automobile industry after World War I changed the United States economy by

1 stimulating the development of other new industries2 decreasing employment opportunities for assembly-line workers

3 increasing the number of railroad passengers4 encouraging government operation of major industries

# 3 "The business of America is business." In this 1924 statement, President Calvin Coolidge was expressing the idea that

1 workers should have a greater role in influencing business decisions2 the United States should end trade with other countries and become

economically self-sufficient3 basic industries should be owned by the Federal Government4 the economy functions best if government allows business to 

operate freely

# 4 Which change in the buying habits of American consumers occurred during the 1920's?

1 The number of credit purchases increased.2 Locally made products were preferred over national brands.

3 Preferences for imported goods greatly increased.4 Homemade products experienced a revival in popularity.

# 5 The 1920's are often called the "Roaring Twenties" because the decade was noted for

1 changing cultural values 2 economic depression 

3 political reform4 overseas expansion

# 6 During the 1920s, controversies concerning the Scopes trial, nationalProhibition, and the behavior of “flappers” were all signs of disagreement

over

(1) the return to normalcy(2) traditional values and changing lifestyles

(3) causes of the Great Depression(4) the benefits of new technology

# 7 The 1925 trial of John Scopes involved a conflict between

1 communists and industrialists2 science and religion

3 the Ku Klux Klan and civil rights advocates4 supporters and opponents of a ban on the sale of

alcoholic beverages

#8 The "flappers" of the 1920's gained public attention mainly because they

1 often refused to conform to society's expectations2 fought for the right of women to vote

3 fled the United States to live in Europe4 worked for equal status in employment

# 9 A study of the "flappers" of the 1920's would indicate that

1 some women rejected traditional feminine roles2 many women were elected to national political office

3 women were fired from traditionally male occupations4 the earning power of women was equal to that of men in

the same occupation

# 10 Which generalization can best be drawn from the experiment with national Prohibition (1919–1933)?

(1) Social attitudes can make laws difficult to enforce.(2) Americans resent higher taxes.

(3) Morality can be legislated successfully.(4) People will sacrifice willingly for the common good.

                                                                                     

# 11 The data in the chart support the idea that the immigration laws of 1921 and 1924 were primarily designed to

(1) stop illegal entry into the country(2) admit skilled workers(3) encourage immigration from southern Europe(4) reduce immigration from specific regions

# 12 The United States adopted the immigration policies shown in the chart mainly because of

(1) pressures from nativists and labor unions

(2) hardships caused by the Great Depression(3) prejudices generated during World War II(4) threats from other nations to stop migration to the United States

# 14 Which event represents an expression of nativism during the 1920s?

(1) trial of John Scopes for teaching evolution(2) adoption of a quota system to limit immigration

(3) Charles Lindbergh’s solo transatlantic flight(4) rise in popularity of spectator sports

# 13 The intent of the United States immigration laws of the 1920's was to

(1) increase economic opportunities for recent immigrants(2) encourage cultural diversity(3) restore an open-door policy toward immigration(4) restrict immigration through the use of quotas

One Way TicketI am fed up

With Jim Crow laws,People who are cruel

And afraid,Who lynch and run,

Who are scared of meAnd me of them.I pick up my lifeAnd take it away

On a one-way ticketGone Up NorthGone Out West

Gone! - (Langston Hughes, 1926)

# 15 The author states that he has “Gone” because

(1) jobs were available in northern industries(2) there was no racial prejudice in the West(3) farmland was more available in the North

(4) racial discrimination drove him away

# 16 The works of Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, and Langston Hughes reflected the

(1) expanding role of women in the 1920s

(2) achievements of the Harlem Renaissance(3) architectural innovations of the 1930s

(4) influence of southern European immigrant groups

# 17 Which event of the 1920's was most inconsistent with the racial and ethnic intolerance of the decade?

1 Red Scare 2 Harlem Renaissance 3 Sacco-Vanzetti trial 4 resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan